MRT-3 to suspend weekend operations

MANILA, Philippines — Operations of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will be suspended during four weekends of July to September to speed up rail replacement works.

MRT-3 operations will be suspended on July 4 and 5, Aug. 8 and 9, Aug. 21 and 23 and Sept. 12 and 13, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Tuesday.

The DOTr said the suspension of operations would allow the MRT-3 service provider, Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, to conduct works for the trains, electrical systems and other subsystems.

Rail replacement works to be done include turnout repairs for the southbound and northbound tracks at the North Avenue and Taft Avenue stations.

The government will implement bus augmentation program to accomodate passengers of the MRT-3. – Richmond Mercurio, Ralph Edwin Villanueva

Turnouts are used to enable trains to switch from one track to another.

To accommodate weekend passengers of the MRT-3, the DOTr said

Once rail replacement works are completed, train operating speed will gradually increase from 40 kilometers per hour to 60 kph by December this year.

Headway, or the interval between trains, will gradually decrease to 3.5 minutes from 8.5 minutes.

The rail replacement is seen as a vital aspect in the rehabilitation being undertaken to restore the MRT-3 into high-grade design condition.

Last year, the DOTr re-engaged the services of Japan’s Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which are the original designer, builder and maintenance provider of the MRT-3 during its first 12 years of operations.

Aside from rail replacement, Sumitomo will undertake the overhaul of 72 light rail vehicles, replace mainline tracks, rehabilitate power and overhead catenary systems, upgrade the signaling system, communications and CCTV systems as well as repair escalators and elevators.